HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-13-16, Hooker, Cleveland, Public CommentMay 12, 2016
To: Allyson Brekke, Bozeman City Planner
From : Alan & Emily Hooker, 1102 South 3rd Ave. Bozeman, MT Re: Conditional Use Permit application for Short Term Rental, 304 West Cleveland Ave.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the above application. We have remained in our home for 36 years because we love the long term friendships we have developed with families in our neighborhood. We
have enjoyed welcoming new families to the neighborhood just as we were once welcomed. It is a pleasure to watch neighbor kids grow up, share good times, help, borrow, lend, etc. This is an example of a healthy neighborhood where members support each other. A relative who visited commented on the high number of
kids he had seen on bikes & playing actively with each other in Bozeman’s neighborhoods. He said “you just don't see that anymore”.
We have noticed the proliferation of residences being used for STR. It doesn't take long on Airbnb or VRBO to recognize numerous houses in residential Bozeman being utilized in this way. Recently Airbnb listed within a
2-3 block radius of our home, 9 residences renting ADUs, rooms, or whole houses for varied times during the
year including what appeared to be full time. How many of these have absentee owners who live out of town or out of state? At any rate, it seems apparent that these 9 are not STRs with CUPs, since there are only 4-5
homes in all of Bozeman that have a CUP for this purpose. In the middle of our block is a house that was pur-chased by an LLC one year ago. It has been undergoing renovation for most of the past year. Disclosure by the occupant regarding the renovations has been vague. Is it on the path to become a full time STR with late
night arrivals and wee hour departures? What are the benefits and risks to the integrity of our neighborhoods and the city as a whole? At what density
will it begin to drive out permanent residents? How will parents feel about the safety of their children when
there are unknown persons constantly coming and going from multiple houses nearby? These questions need to be explored in some depth.
Our main concern is that without enforced regulation with city oversight of some kind, our R-1 residential dis-trict will slowly evolve into predominantly commercial lodging districts that is near vacant during the off season,
while being dominated by visitors during the most desirable parts of the year. These would be people we do not know, and who do not know each other. It is reasonable to assume that a percentage of these lodgers
would take little interest in caring about the permanent residents’ wishes. That being said, our concern for
STRs where the property is owner-occupied is considerably less than those that are commercially managed.
Bozeman's current regulations are not being adhered to by hundreds of STRs indicating that the current regu-
lations are not working and that review and revision is needed. It seems citizen education regarding this issue has room for improvement. We found it difficult to find information on the city website that directs a homeown-
er to an outline of the process for applying for and operating a short-term rental. Bozeman is changing quickly and we cannot afford to get this wrong.
We commend Mr. Woods for following the legal procedure of applying for a CUP. However we have real con-
cerns about an STR when it is not owner occupied. If approved, we do not feel that it is appropriate to issue open ended CUPs for a full-time vacation rental without periodic review and re-approval to protect visitors, ad-
jacent property owners, and city. Recommendations:
1) Any CUP application for an STR, if granted, should be for a limited amount of time (2 yr?) with subsequent review by staff with a report to the commission. If there have been complaints or regulations have changed in
that period of time, then the owner could be required to bring their STR into compliance. Transfer of property
ownership should trigger a CUP review. Again, this allows the opportunity for the city to require a property to be brought into compliance if regulations have changed (rather than being permanently grandfathered in). It
also gives the city a chance to educate the new owner on responsibilities out lined in the CUP.
2) Explore differentiating owner-occupied STRs from commercially managed properties. How is it that an ADU
requires owner occupation while a STR with a CUP can function as a full blown hotel with absentee owner?
3) Form a working group of neighborhood representatives and city to explore the multiple issues surrounding
STRs and then make recommendations to be considered in upcoming changes to the unified development code.
Respectfully, Alan Hooker alan@owmiho.com
Emily Hooker emilyhooker@icloud.com 1102 S. 3rd Ave.
Bozeman, MT, 59715